SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Former NHL player and TNT hockey analyst Paul Bissonnette was assaulted by several men during an altercation at a Scottsdale steakhouse on Sunday night. Bissonnette posted a video on X on Monday describing the incident, saying he tried to intervene when one member of the group got in the manager's face and started grabbing him after his friend was asked to leave. “You could tell by his face he (the manager) was a little shocked and surprised and stunned,” Bissonnette said. “It's a family restaurant and there wasn't anyone there who could maybe go help him out, so I went over, grabbed the guy and said: ‘sir, if you’re going to assault and harass the staff, we're going to have problems.'” Bissonnette said members of the group started throwing punches in a fight that started in the restaurant, spilled into the parking lot and to a nearby store. Bissonnette said he was kicked in the head three times and took several punches while landing several blows of his own against seven men. Scottsdale police arrested six men who are accused of assault and disorderly conduct. Bissonnette played in the NHL from 2008-14, spending his final six seasons with the Arizona Coyotes before moving on to a broadcasting career.Haiti gangs fire on journalists covering a planned hospital reopening, leaving casualties
The German Embassy in Nigeria has announced the upcoming visit of Frank-Walter Steinmeier, the President of the Federal Republic of Germany, from December 10 to 12, 2024 to Abuja and Lagos. In Lagos, he will engage with business representatives, visit a start-up hub, and meet with members of Nigeria’s cultural sector and civil society. According to the statement by the embassy, the visit aims to strengthen the robust Nigeria-Germany relations and to express Germany’s appreciation of Nigeria. This visit follows the recent engagements between the two nations, including the visit of Olaf Scholz German Chancellor to Nigeria in October 2023 and the visit of Bola Ahmed Tinubu to Germany in November 2023. President Steinmeier’s visit marks the third high-level exchange between the two countries since President Tinubu’s inauguration, highlighting the close ties and mutual interests shared by both nations. The statement notes that the visit also signifies a commitment to working together as strategic partners, given that both countries are the strongest economies and the most populous nations on their respective continents. The state reads: “German Embassy in Nigeria is pleased to announce the visit of the President of the Federal Republic of Germany, His Excellency Dr. Frank-Walter Steinmeier to Nigeria on the 10th to 12th of December 2024. “The visit aims to underline the strength of Nigeria-Germany relations and to mark Germany’s appreciation of Nigeria. “This high frequency of visits is proof of the close relations between both countries and the serious interest of Germany in Nigeria. It is also evidence of a willingness to work together as strategic partners – an obvious fit, as both countries share striking commonalities, including being the strongest economy and the most populous country on their respective continents”. “President Steinmeier will be accompanied by a business delegation of CEOs and high-ranking board members of some of Germany’s most successful companies in the fields of IT, hightech and energy – an indication of the rising interest of German businesses in opportunities to invest in Nigeria”. During his visit, President Steinmeier will meet with President Tinubu and the President of the Commission of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), His Excellency Dr. Alieu Omar Touray. During his Lagos trip, he will meet with Dr. Nike Okundaye, popularly known as Mama Nike, of the Nike Art Gallery, and Prof. Wole Soyinka, the renowned author and Nobel Laureate for Literature. There will also be an opportunity to tour the city of Lagos to gain insights into the urban development of this megacity, including its environmental and social challenges. The President of the Federal Republic of Germany serves as the Head of State, representing Germany both domestically and internationally. His role is largely ceremonial, focusing on mediation and communication, rather than day-to-day politics. This visit is expected to further strengthen the important bilateral relations between Germany and Nigeria.RFK Jr. Effect: "Rotation Out Of Healthcare Stocks Shows No Signs Of Abating"
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden said Sunday that the is a “fundamental act of justice” after decades of repression, but it was “a moment of risk and uncertainty” for the Middle East. Biden spoke at the White House hours after rebel groups completed a takeover of the country following more than a dozen years of violent civil war and decades of leadership by . Biden said the United States was monitoring reports of the whereabouts of Assad, with Russian state media saying he had fled to Moscow and received asylum from his longtime ally. The outgoing Biden administration and President-elect Donald Trump were working to make sense of new threats and opportunities across the Middle East. Biden credited action by the U.S. and its allies for weakening Syria’s backers — Russia, Iran and Hezbollah. He said “for the first time” that they could no longer defend Assad’s grip on power. “Our approach has shifted the balance of power in the Middle East,” Biden said, after a meeting with his national security team. Trump said Sunday that Assad had fled because close ally the Russian president, “was not interested in protecting him any longer.” Those comments on Trump’s social media platform came a day after he used another post to in Syria to aid the rebels, declaring, “THIS IS NOT OUR FIGHT.” The Biden administration said it had no intention of intervening. The U.S has about 900 troops in Syria, including forces working with Kurdish allies in the opposition-held northeast to prevent any resurgence of the Islamic State group. Biden said he intended for those troops to remain, adding that U.S. forces on Sunday conducted “precision air strikes” on IS camps and operations in Syria. U.S. Central Command said the operation hit more than 75 targets. “We’re clear-eyed about the fact that ISIS will try and take advantage of any vacuum to reestablish its credibility, and create a safe haven,” Biden said, using a different acronym for the group. “We will not let that happen.” The Syrian opposition that brought down Assad is led by , which the U.S. says is a terrorist organization with links to al-Qaida, although the group says it has since broken ties with al-Qaida. “We will remain vigilant,” Biden said. “Make no mistake, some of the rebel groups that took down Assad have their own grim record of terrorism and human rights abuses.” He added that the groups are “saying the right things now.” “But as they take on greater responsibility, we will assess not just their words, but their actions,” Biden said. A senior Biden administration official, when asked about contact with Hayat Tahrir al-Sham leaders after Assad’s departure, said Washington was in contact with Syrian groups of all kinds. The official, who was not authorized to publicly discuss the situation and spoke on condition of anonymity, also said the U.S. has focused over the past several days on chemical weapons that had been controlled by the Assad government, aiming to ensure they were secured. Still, Assad’s adds to an already tense situation throughout much of region on many fronts — including Israel’s and its fragile in Lebanon. Like Biden, Trump, who takes office in five-plus weeks, made a connection between the upheaval in Syria and , noting that Assad’s allies in Moscow, as well as in Iran, the main sponsor of Hamas and Hezbollah, “are in a weakened state right now.” Vice President-elect , a veteran of the U.S.-led war in Iraq, wrote on social media Sunday to express skepticism about the insurgents. “Many of ‘the rebels’ are a literal offshoot of ISIS. One can hope they’ve moderated. Time will tell,” he said. Trump has suggested that Assad’s ouster can advance the prospects for an end to fighting in Ukraine, which was invaded by Russia in February 2022. The president-elect wrote that Putin’s government “lost all interest in Syria because of Ukraine” and Trump called for an immediate ceasefire, a day after meeting . The Syrian rebels face the daunting task of healing bitter divisions in a country ravaged by war and split among armed factions. Turkey-backed opposition fighters are battling U.S.-allied Kurdish forces in the north, and the Islamic State group is still active in remote areas. As they pushed toward the Syrian capital of Damascus, the opposition forces freed political detainees from government prisons. The family of missing U.S. journalist renewed calls to find him. Tice disappeared in 2012 outside Damascus as the civil war was intensifying.MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Joseph Pinion had 22 points and eight rebounds, Dyondre Dominguez added 19 points and Arkansas State built a double-digit first-half lead to beat No. 16 Memphis 85-72 on Sunday. Pinion was 7 of 13 from the floor and 5 of 11 from outside the arc, giving the Red Wolves their second straight win and their first over a ranked team since 1991. Taryn Todd finished with 17 points for Arkansas State (7-3). PJ Haggerty led Memphis (7-2) with 29 points, and Dain Dainja finished with 16 points and 12 rebounds. Arkansas State held a double-digit lead for most of the game and led 68-57 with 8 minutes left. That was enough for the Red Wolves to defeat the Tigers, snapping a seven-game losing streak to Memphis. Takeaways Arkansas State: The Red Wolves certainly got the nationally ranked Tigers’ attention in the first half after they shot 7 of 18 from 3-point range and built an 18-point lead. The lead got to single digits a couple of times in the second half, but Arkansas State answered the pressure. Memphis: The Tigers suffered through a miserable first half, shooting under 20% late in the half. They turned up their defensive pressure, which cut into the lead, but Memphis never made a serious threat. Key moment Memphis got within 60-53 with 11 minutes left, but Arkansas State went on a 12-6 run that included 3-pointers from Pinion, Todd and Kobe Julien to stretch the Red Wolves’ lead to 75-60 with 6:29 left in the game. Key stat Arkansas State’s last win over a ranked team was when it defeated then-No. 21 New Orleans 76-65 in 1991. Up next Arkansas State hosts UT-Arlington on Thursday, and Memphis travels to Clemson on Saturday. ___ Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up . AP college basketball: and
NexPoint Real Estate Finance, Inc. Announces Series A Preferred Stock Dividend
Kohl's Announces CEO Transition ProcessI paid £35 to trial the Dyson Airwrap at the Trafford Centre, one thing let it all down
College Football Playoff field: What went right, what went wrong
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden said Sunday that the is a “fundamental act of justice” after decades of repression, but it was “a moment of risk and uncertainty” for the Middle East. Biden spoke at the White House hours after rebel groups completed a takeover of the country following more than a dozen years of violent civil war and decades of leadership by . Biden said the United States was monitoring reports of the whereabouts of Assad, with Russian state media saying he had fled to Moscow and received asylum from his longtime ally. The outgoing Biden administration and President-elect Donald Trump were working to make sense of new threats and opportunities across the Middle East. Biden credited action by the U.S. and its allies for weakening Syria’s backers — Russia, Iran and Hezbollah. He said “for the first time” that they could no longer defend Assad’s grip on power. “Our approach has shifted the balance of power in the Middle East,” Biden said, after a meeting with his national security team. Trump said Sunday that Assad had fled because close ally the Russian president, “was not interested in protecting him any longer.” Those comments on Trump’s social media platform came a day after he used another post to in Syria to aid the rebels, declaring, “THIS IS NOT OUR FIGHT.” The Biden administration said it had no intention of intervening. The U.S has about 900 troops in Syria, including forces working with Kurdish allies in the opposition-held northeast to prevent any resurgence of the Islamic State group. Biden said he intended for those troops to remain, adding that U.S. forces on Sunday conducted “precision air strikes” on IS camps and operations in Syria. U.S. Central Command said the operation hit more than 75 targets. “We’re clear-eyed about the fact that ISIS will try and take advantage of any vacuum to reestablish its credibility, and create a safe haven,” Biden said, using a different acronym for the group. “We will not let that happen.” The Syrian opposition that brought down Assad is led by , which the U.S. says is a terrorist organization with links to al-Qaida, although the group says it has since broken ties with al-Qaida. “We will remain vigilant,” Biden said. “Make no mistake, some of the rebel groups that took down Assad have their own grim record of terrorism and human rights abuses.” He added that the groups are “saying the right things now.” “But as they take on greater responsibility, we will assess not just their words, but their actions,” Biden said. A senior Biden administration official, when asked about contact with Hayat Tahrir al-Sham leaders after Assad’s departure, said Washington was in contact with Syrian groups of all kinds. The official, who was not authorized to publicly discuss the situation and spoke on condition of anonymity, also said the U.S. has focused over the past several days on chemical weapons that had been controlled by the Assad government, aiming to ensure they were secured. Still, Assad’s adds to an already tense situation throughout much of region on many fronts — including Israel’s and its fragile in Lebanon. Like Biden, Trump, who takes office in five-plus weeks, made a connection between the upheaval in Syria and , noting that Assad’s allies in Moscow, as well as in Iran, the main sponsor of Hamas and Hezbollah, “are in a weakened state right now.” Vice President-elect , a veteran of the U.S.-led war in Iraq, wrote on social media Sunday to express skepticism about the insurgents. “Many of ‘the rebels’ are a literal offshoot of ISIS. One can hope they’ve moderated. Time will tell,” he said. Trump has suggested that Assad’s ouster can advance the prospects for an end to fighting in Ukraine, which was invaded by Russia in February 2022. The president-elect wrote that Putin’s government “lost all interest in Syria because of Ukraine” and Trump called for an immediate ceasefire, a day after meeting . The Syrian rebels face the daunting task of healing bitter divisions in a country ravaged by war and split among armed factions. Turkey-backed opposition fighters are battling U.S.-allied Kurdish forces in the north, and the Islamic State group is still active in remote areas. As they pushed toward the Syrian capital of Damascus, the opposition forces freed political detainees from government prisons. The family of missing U.S. journalist renewed calls to find him. Tice disappeared in 2012 outside Damascus as the civil war was intensifying.What's Going On With Tesla Stock Today?
By KENYA HUNTER, Associated Press ATLANTA (AP) — As she checked into a recent flight to Mexico for vacation, Teja Smith chuckled at the idea of joining another Women’s March on Washington . As a Black woman, she just couldn’t see herself helping to replicate the largest act of resistance against then-President Donald Trump’s first term in January 2017. Even in an election this year where Trump questioned his opponent’s race , held rallies featuring racist insults and falsely claimed Black migrants in Ohio were eating residents’ pets , he didn’t just win a second term. He became the first Republican in two decades to clinch the popular vote, although by a small margin. “It’s like the people have spoken and this is what America looks like,” said Smith, the Los Angeles-based founder of the advocacy social media agency, Get Social. “And there’s not too much more fighting that you’re going to be able to do without losing your own sanity.” After Trump was declared the winner over Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris , many politically engaged Black women said they were so dismayed by the outcome that they were reassessing — but not completely abandoning — their enthusiasm for electoral politics and movement organizing. Black women often carry much of the work of getting out the vote in their communities. They had vigorously supported the historic candidacy of Harris, who would have been the first woman of Black and South Asian descent to win the presidency. Harris’ loss spurred a wave of Black women across social media resolving to prioritize themselves, before giving so much to a country that over and over has shown its indifference to their concerns. AP VoteCast , a survey of more than 120,000 voters, found that 6 in 10 Black women said the future of democracy in the United States was the single most important factor for their vote this year, a higher share than for other demographic groups. But now, with Trump set to return to office in two months, some Black women are renewing calls to emphasize rest, focus on mental health and become more selective about what fight they lend their organizing power to. “America is going to have to save herself,” said LaTosha Brown, the co-founder of the national voting rights group Black Voters Matter. She compared Black women’s presence in social justice movements as “core strategists and core organizers” to the North Star, known as the most consistent and dependable star in the galaxy because of its seemingly fixed position in the sky. People can rely on Black women to lead change, Brown said, but the next four years will look different. “That’s not a herculean task that’s for us. We don’t want that title. ... I have no goals to be a martyr for a nation that cares nothing about me,” she said. AP VoteCast paints a clear picture of Black women’s concerns. Black female voters were most likely to say that democracy was the single most important factor for their vote, compared to other motivators such as high prices or abortion. More than 7 in 10 Black female voters said they were “very concerned” that electing Trump would lead the nation toward authoritarianism, while only about 2 in 10 said this about Harris. About 9 in 10 Black female voters supported Harris in 2024, according to AP VoteCast, similar to the share that backed Democrat Joe Biden in 2020. Trump received support from more than half of white voters, who made up the vast majority of his coalition in both years. Like voters overall, Black women were most likely to say the economy and jobs were the most important issues facing the country, with about one-third saying that. But they were more likely than many other groups to say that abortion and racism were the top issues, and much less likely than other groups to say immigration was the top issue. Despite those concerns, which were well-voiced by Black women throughout the campaign, increased support from young men of color and white women helped expand Trump’s lead and secured his victory. Politically engaged Black women said they don’t plan to continue positioning themselves in the vertebrae of the “backbone” of America’s democracy. The growing movement prompting Black women to withdraw is a shift from history, where they are often present and at the forefront of political and social change. One of the earliest examples is the women’s suffrage movement that led to ratification in 1920 of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution , which gave women the right to vote. Black women, however, were prevented from voting for decades afterward because of Jim Crow-era literacy tests, poll taxes and laws that blocked the grandchildren of slaves from voting. Most Black women couldn’t vote until the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Black women were among the organizers and counted among the marchers brutalized on the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Alabama, during the historic march in 1965 from Selma to Montgomery that preceded federal legislation. Decades later, Black women were prominent organizers of the Black Lives Matter movement in response to the deaths of Black Americans at the hands of police and vigilantes. In his 2024 campaign, Trump called for leveraging federal money to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion programs in government programs and discussions of race, gender or sexual orientation in schools. His rhetoric on immigration, including false claims that Black Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, were eating cats and dogs, drove support for his plan to deport millions of people . Tenita Taylor, a Black resident of Atlanta who supported Trump this year, said she was initially excited about Harris’ candidacy. But after thinking about how high her grocery bills have been, she feels that voting for Trump in hopes of finally getting lower prices was a form of self-prioritization. “People say, ‘Well, that’s selfish, it was gonna be better for the greater good,”’ she said. “I’m a mother of five kids. ... The things that (Democrats) do either affect the rich or the poor.” Some of Trump’s plans affect people in Olivia Gordon’s immediate community, which is why she struggled to get behind the “Black women rest” wave. Gordon, a New York-based lawyer who supported the Party for Socialism and Liberation’s presidential nominee, Claudia de la Cruz, worries about who may be left behind if the 92% of Black women voters who backed Harris simply stopped advocating. “We’re talking millions of Black women here. If millions of Black women take a step back, it absolutely leaves holes, but for other Black women,” she said. “I think we sometimes are in the bubble of if it’s not in your immediate circle, maybe it doesn’t apply to you. And I truly implore people to understand that it does.” Nicole Lewis, an Alabama-based therapist who specializes in treating Black women’s stress, said she’s aware that Black women withdrawing from social impact movements could have a fallout. But she also hopes that it forces a reckoning for the nation to understand the consequences of not standing in solidarity with Black women. “It could impact things negatively because there isn’t that voice from the most empathetic group,” she said. “I also think it’s going to give other groups an opportunity to step up. ... My hope is that they do show up for themselves and everyone else.” Brown said a reckoning might be exactly what the country needs, but it’s a reckoning for everyone else. Black women, she said, did their job when they supported Harris in droves in hopes they could thwart the massive changes expected under Trump. “This ain’t our reckoning,” she said. “I don’t feel no guilt.” AP polling editor Amelia Thomson DeVeaux and Associated Press writer Linley Sanders in Washington contributed to this report. The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.Following the results of the 2024 presidential election, searches related to emigrating from the U.S., including if it’s possible to buy Canadian citizenship , began surging. Similar searches have spiked following past presidential elections as well. Over the past week, however, people have also searched about the possibility of buying cheap homes in Italy. One VERIFY reader texted us to ask if it’s true an Italian village is selling Americans $1 homes following the election, and people on social media are also asking if it’s a real offer. THE QUESTION Is an Italian village offering $1 homes to Americans following the election? THE SOURCES Live in Ollolai website Archive of Live in Ollolai dating back to Nov. 13, 2024 November 2024 CNN interview with Francesco Columbu, Ollolai’s mayor 2018 CNN story on Ollolai May 2024 CNBC report on renovation costs of 1-Euro Italian homes THE ANSWER Yes, an Italian village is offering $1 homes to Americans following the election. WHAT WE FOUND Ollolai, a village on the island of Sardinia in Italy, is courting American homebuyers following the presidential election by offering them homes for as little as $1. Ollolai and other Italian villages have made similar offers to people around the globe for several years. However, the cheapest homes available require renovations that will push the cost of the home much higher than just a dollar. A website run by the village titled “ Live in Ollolai ” offers homes from 1 Euro to 100,000+ Euros ($1.05 to $105,000) for people “worned [sic] out by global politics.” The earliest appearance the website makes on the Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine is Nov. 13, 2024, just over a week after the U.S. presidential election. The website itself makes no direct mention of Americans or U.S. politics. However, the village’s mayor, Francesco Columbu, told CNN that “the website was specifically created to attract American voters,” who would receive “preferential treatment” when applying. “We just really want, and will focus on, Americans above all,” Columbu told CNN. “We can’t of course ban people from other countries to apply, but Americans will have a fast-track procedure. We are betting on them to help us revive the village, they are our winning card.” The website promises any prospective buyers that the village will guide them through the process of buying and renovating the home, as well as navigating whatever paperwork Italy might require the homebuyer to go through. Ollolai’s website says 1-Euro homes will need renovations, but there are “move-in-ready” homes at affordable prices that “require minimal renovation.” Italian villages such as Ollolai have offered homes for as little as 1 Euro for years, but the cheapest homes have always come with the caveat that the buyer will need to pay for renovations. CNN first wrote about Ollolai in 2018 , when it reported the village was selling hundreds of abandoned homes for 1 Euro each. “The real estate bonanza comes with a catch, though,” CNN wrote at the time. “The 200 stone-built dwellings up for grabs are in poor condition and buyers must commit to a refurbishment within three years, which will likely cost about $25,000.” Other villages in Italy, such as Mussomeli on the island of Sicily, similarly require buyers of 1-Euro homes to renovate the homes within three years of purchase. In May 2024, CNBC reported on the true price of Italian 1-Euro homes purchased by two Americans. Both Americans first purchased their homes in villages in Sicily in 2019. One of them won their home in an auction after bidding 5,555 Euros, which was about 5,900 Euros (about $6,200) after taxes and fees. That homeowner then bought the neighboring home in a private sale for 22,000 Euros and spent about 425,000 Euros renovating the combined space. In total, the homes and renovations cost about $475,000. The other homeowner bought three homes in another village for 1 Euro each. Each building came with a 500-Euro realtors fee and a 2,800-Euro deed — that’s about $10,500 between the three buildings. At the time, that homeowner had spent about $35,000 in renovations. Ollolai’s website says prospective buyers will be able to explore properties online soon. Ollolai also maintains a separate website for foreign remote workers to apply to rent a home for a month in Ollolai for 1 Euro. Ollolai is just one of several villages listed by websites promoting 1-Euro home deals in Italy . The trend began when some Italian villages began making the offers to attract foreigners to boost their local economies and offset aging, declining populations. The offer does not come with Italian residency or citizenship. Any American seeking to live in Italy will have to apply for residency separately. The U.S. Embassies and Consulates in Italy describe the process for obtaining legal Italian residency. While Ollolai’s offer was announced following the election of Republican Donald Trump, people looking for a more liberal government may not find that in Italy. The country is currently led by a right-wing political party with roots to post-WWII fascist groups . Italy’s prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, has anti-LGBTQ+, anti-abortion and anti-migrant positions .
EV Sales Slump: A Global Reality Check